AN: So I had a completely different idea for this chapter when I realized (like the idiot I am) that in order to explain some things (now and in the future) about Elysia herself that I would have to explain things about her parents and what happened to them. So that meant I had to go back and start a new chapter for this, which is why it took so long. The anxiety that this chapter gave me was such a pain, but I hope that it turned out okay.

Something to note would be that Elysia calls Frigga and Odin mother and father, seeing as that is the more formal name for them, while she refers to her birth parents as Mama and Papa. I imagine the younger children of Asgard calling their parents that and since Elysia never really got to meet hers, she would have never stopped referring to them as such. It also made it easier to create a distinction about who she was talking about.

Ek ann þér: I love you

Chapter 7: Little Star

Elysia had gone to see Eir that night but the healer could not give her much insight into what had actually happened. Without being able to witness it in person Eir did not have any way to measure the pain nor find its source. The best she could offer Elysia was that it was a side effect of the stone. After all there had never been another to absorb a part of it, giving them no precedence to use as a judge.

After that whenever she was hit with a wave of cold, or struck with the sharp pain in her head, it never lasted more than a few moments and it was never as bad as the first time. Elysia determined that there was nothing that could be done about it and that she would just have to live as though they were nothing more than minor inconveniences.

Another thing that had left her puzzled were her dreams. They were few and far between but occasionally she would dream of a man who was holding a strange looking item in his hands. She could never see his face, but when he would lift the object there was a loud sharp sound and a figure would crumble to the ground in front of him. The only thing she could ever see clearly was an image of a red star, but that did not provide her with any significant clues.

A shout from the outer courtyards drew her attention and she sighed deeply. She knew that this must once again be the cause of her two brothers. She pushed her food away and walked quickly to the source of the shouting. What she saw upon her arrival was not shocking.

Laying on the ground was Thor, holding his bleeding side while Loki stood off to the side with a bloody dagger. When it looked as though Loki were going to make his way back to Thor, she shot her hands out in front of her, creating a shield around the eldest.

Loki whipped his head in Elysia's direction, taking note of the large scowl on her face and pouted. "Why must you ruin all my fun sister?"

"Fun?! You call this fun? You stabbed me Loki!"

With barely a head tilt in Thor's direction Loki tossed a reply back to him. "You act as though this is something new. Quit complaining, it did not even go in very far, you are fine." He was telling the truth, he had merely jabbed straight in and out, hardly called for all the fuss that Thor was putting up. Obviously by the indignant look upon his face Thor did not share the same sentiments.

"Loki I am sure that is not the point he is trying to make. You cannot just stick him with a dagger whenever you so feel like it." Elysia tried to be a voice of reason, but she doubted that it would help any. For months this had been going on between the two of them and for the life of her Elysia could not figure out why.

"It is not because I just so happen to feel like it." This time Loki turned to glare at Thor, who started to look a little sheepish, "He has broken yet another promise to me. He was supposed to accompany the two of us in the gardens yesterday for our lesson and I've just come to find that he abandoned us to explore the marketplace with those three commoners."

So that had been why Elysia's lesson was postponed. After getting over her initial shock at the amount of venom in Loki's tone, she realized the words that he had actually said. "Loki, you cannot call them commoners. It is ill mannered and untrue." She understood his frustration, she herself still did not care too much for the three boys Thor chose to stick beside. But at the same time she understood that it was her eldest brother's choice to choose his friends, that was not something her or Loki could take from him.

Loki stared at her incredulously, "How is it untrue? To us they are all commoners." Did his sister not understand that everyone else was below them? They were gods, royal gods. Mortals could never hope to be as strong as them, and even their own people would not rise to their royal station. He did not mean it in a cruel manner, it was simply the truth of the matter.

Elysia knew that she could argue with Loki all day long, but it would have no effect on him. She could say that according to the nature of her birth that she too was nothing more than a commoner compared to him. And yet she knew that Loki would tell her that while her parents were not of the royal family they were still nobles, thus making her more important than the others. And personally Elysia felt no desire to discuss such a matter at the moment. "I am not going to argue with you about this Loki." She leaned down and helped her eldest brother back up to his feet, "Thor, go to Eir and get that taken care of. I have things I wish to discuss with our brother."

Thor nodded at her before eyeing Loki warily lest he pounce once more. He understood that breaking his promise deserved some sort of retribution, but surely having a dagger shoved into his gut was taking things a bit too far. "Maybe you could persuade him into a less violent habit while you're at it."

She chuckled and nudged him into the direction she had come from, "I shall try, but I make no guarantees." Mischief was Loki's domain, and to try and drag him away from it would prove useless. Elysia faced her other brother and leveled a stern glance at him, "This cannot just be because he missed a simple lesson with us."

Indignantly Loki waved his arms in the direction that Thor had gone off to. "He made a promise Elysia, he swore he would be there for us more. And once again he has broken it." He did not understand why it was him that Elysia wanted to talk to, this whole situation could have been avoided had Thor understood the severity of an oath. Loki was only doing what he felt he had to in order to get the point firmly planted in their brother's mind.

That explained why Thor had been seemingly paying extra attention to their needs for days on end. "Mother did tell us that the older we got the more things would distract us." She shook her head and reached out for his hand, "Loki just because he has other friends does not mean that he has forgotten about us or loves us any less. It just means he has outgrown spending all of his time with his younger siblings." She could see the silent war that raged behind his eyes, part of him wanting to believe her and the other holding firm to his previous notions.

In the end vulnerability won and he bowed his head to gaze at the grass beneath their feet, "I just thought our bond was stronger than that." If anyone asked he would deny the tears that lingered in his eyes, but he knew that Elysia would never judge or tell a soul about his momentary lapse of control. Loki never had liked change and it seemed like the older they all got the more it came in abundance.

"Loki there are only two people in all nine realms that could stab him without incurring what I am sure is nothing short of a mighty wrath, and I am looking at one of them. I'd say that our bond is as strong as it needs to be." She did not know what to say beyond that. She could tell him that his views were false all she wanted, but unless the words came from Thor himself, Loki might not believe them. The best Elysia could do was remind him that the two of them had certain allowances with their older brother, ones that no one else, besides perhaps Sif, could attain. Beyond his soulmate the two of them were Thor's closest companions, Elysia just wished Loki would remember that more often.

There was a brief pause before Loki let out a breathy chuckle, and supposed that she was right. Had anyone else done what he had just now, Thor would have created possibly the biggest uproar that Asgard had ever seen. "How did it come to be that the youngest one became so wise?" He pinched her cheek as he teased her, wanting to let her know that he was calm again.

"I have been told that during her life, my Mama was a very grounded individual. Perhaps it's something that's passed down."

And with that the playful mood evaporated. It was not Elysia's intention, but given the date it seemed as though this was going to be a topic that would be on her mind constantly.

Loki turned his soft eyes on his sister, cursing himself for forgetting. "It completely slipped my mind...it is today isn't it?" The situation could only get worse if he was wrong and had just reminded her of one of her greatest losses.

Elysia shook her head and waved off his concern, guilt was the last thing she wanted him to feel. "It is alright, this morning I had forgotten as well." It had been happening to her more throughout the past couple of years. "I suppose the more time that passes the more they slip from my memory."

It was hard to imagine that a child could ever forget the anniversary of their parent's death. But when one's lifespan included several millennia, one day in particular seemed to fade to the back of the mind. It hurt Elysia deeply to think that she could ever forget the people who had given her life, but it was something she'd have to deal with.

"Ah, the curse of time." Loki nodded, understanding and wanting to make her feel like it wasn't her fault. From moments after her birth she had been passed to Frigga, becoming part of his family, it was not Elysia's fault that she did not remember those who did not raise her. Of course these were never thoughts that he would share with her, knowing that it would only cause her pain.

Saying that Loki was happy that her birth parents were gone would not be accurate. But he would not squander the gift that the Allfathers had given him in the form of his sister, regardless of who had to be sacrificed in the process.

Elysia's reply was quiet as she contemplated how she felt, "A curse indeed."

Loki wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he began to lead her back towards their home. "You know if you ask mother I am sure that she would share some of her memories of them with you. Maybe then you'd have something more than just names to hold onto."

Let it never be said that Loki would not do all in his power to cheer up his little sister, even if it was not something he could help with personally.

A laugh rang out around them that sounded awfully familiar to tinkling bells, "You call me wise and yet not once have I ever thought to do such a thing." Elysia moved her arm around Loki's waist and leaned into him further. She had never thought that there might be memories of her parents that Frigga and Odin might hold that they would be willing to share with her, and she loved Loki all the more for pointing it out to her.

She looked up at him with shining eyes and stuck her tongue out at him, "Now can I trust that another dagger will not lodge itself into our brother's flesh?" She had no doubt that eventually another one would, but she would like to limit the amount of damage if at all possible.

Knowing that this was a particularly hard day for his sister Loki nodded his head sincerely, "There will be no more incidents on this day, I give you my word."

He waited until she had moved her gaze onto something else before a smirk made its way across his face. There would be no more mischief today, but tomorrow was after all a new day free of promises.

Elysia was fortunate that today was a very slow day in Asgard. There had been no major incidents or casualties that would monopolize her parent's attention. So when she made her way to the throne room none of her father's guards made a move to hold her back from entry, instead bowing their heads as she passed.

She hated when they did that. And judging by the small smiles on their faces, they all knew it too.

Pushing open the doors Elysia saw a sight that made her heart melt. There in the center of the room were her parents, slowly twirling around with large smiles plastered across their faces. She had half a mind to turn around and simply leave them to their bubble of happiness, which she knew all too well came around scarcely, when their eyes locked onto her form.

"Daughter, is everything alright?"

Although he was not upset, Odin's voice still boomed throughout the room, and Elysia instantly grew nervous. They seemed to be having such a good moment together and she hated to be the one to ruin it. However the curiosity to find out if Loki's previous inquiry was correct won over her anxiety and she squared her shoulders, knowing that Odin would appreciate a self-assured request more than a timid one.

"Everything is fine father." She tried to ignore the way both their forms relaxed at that, "Loki just bought a matter to my attention and I was curious as to whether or not you and mother would entertain the idea."

The children had all learned early on that the key to talking to their father was in fact not to sound like the children they were. According to Odin, the royal children of Asgard were not to speak in public as though they were anything other than fully grown Asgardians.

If Loki and her hated it, then Thor absolutely abhorred the rule. For once in his life he did not create a big fuss about it, he just simply refused to speak in such a political manner with their parents. But somehow he was the only one of the three who was able to forgo that particular rule without repercussions or the threat of extra lessons.

Her inquiry had effectively drawn the full attention of her parents as they released each other and turned to face her. "What was it that your brother said my darling?"

Frigga's smile was gentle and it relaxed Elysia enough to stop worrying about their responses to her question. "Loki mentioned that it might be possible for you to share stories with me..." She paused, looking down at her hands knowing that what she was about to ask was sensitive in nature. "Memories you have about my parents."

There was a moment where not a single one of them dared to breathe. Elysia was shocked out of what felt like a lifetime of silence when the bright sound of laughter filled her ears. The problem was that this came from a voice that she had never heard before. Her head snapped up and she was immediately entranced by the sight of a young man and woman who were racing around the throne room without a care in the world. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized what Frigga had done.

Instead of sharing a simple story with her, Frigga was instead showing her a physical manifestation of her memories. And that could only mean that the young man and women were her parents.

Gunnar and Asta.

They were so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at them. The man had a head of bright blonde hair that rivaled Thor's and his skin looked as though the sun had come down and kissed it itself. His dark brown eyes held amusement as he tried to catch the smaller woman who looked so much like Elysia. The woman's hair was the same shade of midnight that she was accustomed to seeing in the mirror, but the eyes are what caught her attention. They were grey, a color that might have been boring in so many other contexts, but on her Mama's face they seemed to glow.

Elysia Gunnarsdottir came from some seriously good genes.

Gunnar finally caught up with Asta and that's when Elysia noticed the bump on her Mama's stomach. The air was ripped from Elysia's lungs as she realized that she was seeing her parents when they were pregnant with her, before everything had gone wrong. The bump was not significantly big and had it not been for her Papa's large hand carefully cradling the area Elysia never would have noticed its existence.

This was right before the war began.

Elysia was so focused on their forms that she completely missed the whirlpool of emotions that were stirring in the other occupants of the room. Had she looked over she would have seen souls that dimmed in color, but her eyes were not going to stray any time soon.

Odin glanced over at his wife with a sad sigh, "Are you sure that this was wise?" He was trying his best not to look at the image of his dead friend, feeling that awful all-consuming guilt start to crawl its way back up his throat. Even though centuries had passed it still burned just as bright and just as hot.

There were many things that he wished he could change about the war with the Frost Giants and Gunnar was always the first. He should have let his friend stay behind to attend to Asta, especially when the due date had been so close, he should have let his friend stay behind with his family.

But Odin was selfish and did not want to ride into battle without his second in command. And that choice, that selfishness, cost his daughter her mother and father. With one decision he had changed the destiny of an entire family.

Frigga was having the opposite problem as her husband, she could hardly take her eyes off of her dear friend. Asta and her were as close as Thor, Loki and Elysia were. That loss had stung deeply, it still did, but Elysia's presence helped soothe that burn.

Risking a glance at Elysia, Frigga could see that the girl was struggling. She had only ever known their names and now she was seeing the two people that she had yearned for her entire life, seeing what they looked like and how they loved one another.

But fate had been known to be cruel, and it proved to be once again. Elysia had the unique privilege of seeing them, but they would never see her.

Perhaps her husband was right, maybe this hadn't been the wisest of decisions. But it was the look of complete awe on her little girl's face that told her regardless of the consequences, this was exactly what she needed to see. She needed physical proof that her parents had been real people, not just some story that everyone had come up with to appease her.

"We both knew that one day she would ask questions about them, it just came a little sooner than expected is all."

Odin could not argue against that, when she was younger every anniversary of their death was played out with baited breath, wondering if she would ask for something that they could not give her. They could explain how Asta died to Elysia, but they could never explain a mother's love and how deep it runs. They could never explain why the fates had ruled it so that Asta died minutes after giving birth holding the newborn Elysia on her chest for the first and last time, or how Gunnar had been cursed with never getting to see his little girl that he had been eagerly anticipating.

They could explain what had happened, but never why it had. And their biggest fear was that one day she would want to know why and that they would have to disappoint her with their lack of answers.

"I can understand telling her about them, but is showing her exactly what she lost doing her any favors?" Odin looked into Frigga's eyes, trying to find the answer to the question he did not wish to voice aloud.

"I believe that if the roles were reversed Gunnar and Asta would have shown the boys something similar long ago. They would not let us be forgotten from their minds, and in that aspect we have failed Elysia every day."

Odin's question was answered. He silently held his hand out towards her, knowing that the easiest way to find the memory Frigga was searching for was within his own mind.

However it appeared that he could not read his wife as well as he thought he could.

Frigga was startled out of her trance when she felt Odin's fingers brush up against her, but that feeling quickly faded as she realized what it was that he meant for her to do. That was not her intention, and there was no possible way in all the nine realms that he should even think such an idea would ever be on her mind. "I was not going to-"

Odin gently cut her off, "Perhaps in a way you are right. She is no longer a small child, and if she wants to know more about them than she should know how she came to be."

Frigga shook her head at him and whispered fiercely, "You would have her watch them die?" She could not believe what he was saying. Not even minutes ago he had questioned her desire to show Elysia a happy memory of the two, and now he wanted her to recreate the moments that caused her orphancy.

His stare bore into the back of Elysia's head. "I would have her watch them tell her to live."

The scene in front of her changed and her parents were no longer smiling. Instead of a small bump, it was now quite obvious that her Mama was pregnant and would soon be welcoming her into the world. Fear snaked its way through her and squeezed her heart. All she knew was that her Mama had died shortly after childbirth, and that meant the time was rapidly approaching.

"They called your father the sun and your mother the moon, something that they both firmly embraced." Elysia tried to turn towards Frigga but she could not find the willpower to take the action. She was still soaking in the sight of her parents and was afraid that if she looked away for even a moment, that they would once again disappear from her life.

Had she been a little braver she might have tried to reach out to them. Try to grasp ahold of them and feel their touch upon her skin for the first time.

But the greenish tint that outlined them, so soft that many would not have seen it, let her know that should she reach out she would be met with nothing but air.

"There are important things that you should know about them, but I warn you, they are not attached to pleasant memories." There was a slight pause before Frigga's voice continued to carry towards her. "The price of that information is entangled with their deaths."

"I want to see."

There was no hesitation in her response. Elysia knew pain and she knew death, the concept was not new to her. Sure it would hurt to actually see them perish, but if she could have a moment's glimpse of how much they loved her than it would all be worth it. She did not want to forget them and this way she could have a memory of them that would never fade.

Elysia watched as the images in front of her seemed to come back to life and she was sucked into the private moment in front of her.

Gunnar was kneeling on the floor, his arms wrapped around Asta's waist and her forehead leaning on his. The tears in his wife's eyes nearly broke his heart. He tried not to pay attention to the other men who were having similar goodbyes with their own families.

"Must you go? The baby will be here soon, surely if you asked Odin would let you stay. And if not I am sure that Fi could persuade him."

They had been having this argument for days now. The call for war had been made and it was Gunnar's duty, not only to his people but also to his friend, that he unsheathe his weapon and respond to the call. "My love I must fight," he rested a hand on the area where his child rested, "so that she does not have to. I must protect Asgard so that she can be raised in peace." Looking up into those grey eyes that he loved so much, Gunnar hoped that Asta would understand.

She did understand, truly she did. Asta would give anything to ensure that her daughter would grow free of worry. She could not imagine how Fi was feeling at the moment, having a young Thor to care for while her husband had to ride headfirst into battle was far too much to have to deal with. But the thought of losing Gunnar overshadowed the empathy she felt for her dear friend. "I would rather raise her in a war torn home than without a father."

Gunnar shook his head at her, that would never happen. There was too much waiting at home for him not to return. Seeing that he was still firm in his resolve Asta finally caved, knowing that he was too stubborn and far too loyal to be persuaded out of this.

"Swear to me you'll return home. Do not leave your daughter and I waiting long."

"My love, there is nothing in this realm nor the next that could ever stop me from returning to your side." Gunnar leaned down and placed a kiss on Asta's protruding belly, "Papa loves you little one, and I cannot wait to see your face. You will be a beauty much like your Mama." He threw a wink up at his wife, adoring the slight blush that painted her cheeks.

Gunnar stood and pulled Asta to this chest, lifting her wrist to place a tender kiss on his black scripted words. Choking down his emotions Gunnar slipped back into their mother tongue. "Ek ann þér" he whispered to her before turning to leave, knowing that if he stayed any longer he would lose all willpower to walk away.

"Ek ann þér" Asta whispered back to the wind watching her husband walk away, not knowing it would be the last time she would see him in this life.

Elysia had never before had such a longing to reach out and stop someone. Somewhere deep in her mind she knew that these were only memories, not things that she could actually change, but a more primal part of her believed that if she shouted loud enough her Papa might hear her and turn around.

In an instant it seemed like the whole room changed around them. Even though they were not outside the whole place darkened as though they were looking at a stormy sky. The air around them seemed to freeze as the sound of fighting rang out around Elysia.

The sounds of swords hitting ice resonated throughout her entire body and her eyes frantically sought out the form of her Papa. Locking eyes on him her heart stilled. He was cutting his way through an army of Frost Giants with a fierce gleam in his eyes getting closer and closer to where a younger Odin stood fighting off what must have been King Laufey.

She knew how this battle was to end, but there was a vast difference between hearing about it and seeing it with her own two eyes. Especially since she knew that things were about to get much worse. Maybe Frigga had been right, she might not be able to watch her Papa die.

Gunnar had seen his friend trying to take on Laufey and abandoned his own enemies in his pursuit to aid Odin. By no means was he trying to brag, but based on how swiftly he was cutting through the Frost Giants he was not overly concerned about focusing on them. In the midst of shoving his sword through yet another body he heard Odin let out a sharp cry of pain.

Instantly he looked up to see his friend, one knee firmly rooted to the ground while he held his hands to his face. The blood that coated his hands, slipping down his face as well, was a clear indicator that this fight was not going the way they planned.

Gunnar ran faster than he ever had before, trying to reach Odin before Laufey had the opportunity to kill the Allfather. When in range he swung his sword across Laufey's back and watched as the monster fell over in agony.

Normally such a sight would cause him distress, for inflicting pain had never settled well with him, but this case was different. He was fighting this war for his family and he would do what he had to in order to ensure their victory.

Gritting his teeth, Gunnar lifted his sword above his head, ready to strike Laufey down once and for all when he grunted and froze. Something wasn't right, in an instant everything changed and he just knew that he had to look down.

It felt like time itself was halted when he saw the sharp end of a large ice shard sticking straight out of his abdomen. Gunnar had seen many fall to the sword, but never had something looked more unnatural then when he was seeing it happen to himself. But time stopped for no man and soon thereafter he fell to his knees, dropping his sword, as Odin's shout of protest echoed around them.

He hadn't even seen it coming, having been too engrossed in his single mindedness to end this whole affair. And now his family would pay the price.

Before he could fall over there were arms wrapped around him that hurriedly lowered him to the floor. Frantic hands ripped the ice away, causing fire to burn in his veins. Gunnar did not possess the strength to tell him that taking the shard out would not help. The pain only grew when those same hands begun pushing against the fatal wound.

"Stop Odin." His words went unheeded as Odin continued to put pressure on the wound, blood spilling out through his fingers rapidly. "My friend stop!" Gunnar knew that it was pointless. The wound was far too severe to fix, and even if it could be fixed there were no healers with them and he would bleed out before they even got close to Asgard.

Odin looked lost. The pain in his newly empty eye socket was clouding his judgement as he tried to think of a way out of the situation they were in. But no matter which way he turned, there was nothing giving him any indication of what to do.

Gunnar reached up and grasped a hold of the back of Odin's neck, drawing him down closer to him so that he could look him in the eyes. He had to get this out, he had to tell Odin before his time ran out for there was no other option left. "Swear to me that you will protect them. Swear to me on Thor's life that you will let no harm come to them."

It did not need to be said who he was talking about.

"I swear on his life that I shall always watch over the two of them. Do not worry my friend, they will not be alone."

Gunnar allowed himself to relax slightly at the promise, knowing that if he could not be there himself that his friend was the next best thing for them. "I promised Asta I would come home, I-" he broke off, feeling his voice crack. He had been so adamant that this would not happen, that there was no way he would not return to her side. How was he supposed to convey that to his friend? Gunnar did not know how to apologize to Asta for this.

"Tell her I tried."

Odin had seen many of his warriors in their death throes, but never had he been so affected by one until now. But if a message is what Gunnar wanted him to relay, then no matter how much it hurt to do so he would ensure that Asta received it.

Gunnar smiled up at Odin. He was not afraid of death, only of what he was leaving behind. "You know old friend, I have always favored the name Elysia."

Knowing he only had seconds left Gunnar closed his eyes and imagined Asta and their daughter. She would be beautiful, the most beautiful thing that Asgard had ever seen, and he mourned that he would never be around to see it.

And right before Gunnar slipped away he swore he could almost hear Asta's voice telling him she'd see him soon.

Odin grasped a hold of his friend's limp hand, squeezing it tightly as he shed tears. There was no time to mourn the dead during war, but he found that he could not stop the tears even if he tried. His closest friend, someone he called brother, was gone because he had been bested by the Frost Giant king.

Gunnar was dead because Odin had not been strong enough.

Ignoring the pain in his face, Odin picked up his friend's fallen sword and turned around to face Laufey once again, determination filling his every pore. He was ready to end this war right now.

Elysia had not moved, nor taken a single breath, as she stood ramrod straight staring at the younger Odin grieving over the body of her Papa.

She wanted to scream, she wanted to destroy anything near her. She wanted to rip her name from her body and cradle it close to her heart, because it was something precious that her Papa had given to her. The only thing she had of him, and it was not even something she could touch.

Her Papa had named her. In his last moments he had thought of her, and it hurt. It burned and ached as the feeling spread throughout her body causing her eyes to take on that unnatural golden glow.

Instantly she held her hand up in Frigga and Odin's direction, "I am fine. There is no need for concern, I am in control."

Elysia needed to see what happened next, she had to see what happened to her Mama. She could cry, and scream, and breakdown later once she was alone. Right now she had to hold it together otherwise Frigga would deem it too much for her and she might never get to see this again.

She curled her hands into fists and forced her body to take in steady breaths while she calmed herself down, all while keeping her eyes on the ground. She did not want to look up and see the pity in their eyes. She was well on her way to adulthood now and she did not need her mother and father to hold her hand when things got tough.

She owed it to her Mama and Papa to see this through.

Asta had been playing with Thor in the throne room while Fi was taking over for her husband. The men had been gone for about a week and no word had been sent back to them. It was worrying, but Asta had the upmost faith in Gunnar's promise to her, she just had to wait a little longer.

Every day that he was gone she prayed that their daughter would wait to come until her Papa arrived back.

Thor had one of his ears pressed against her belly as he talked excitedly to the baby. When he had been told that the little girl could hear their voices he had insisted that he have a time when he could speak to her, wanting to make sure that she would recognize his voice when she was born. Her and Fi had gotten a nice laugh out of that one.

Right as Asta was about to call Fi over to hear what Thor was saying, a sharp searing sensation ran across her wrist. She winced and flipped her wrist upwards to try and see what the source of her sudden pain was.

The last thing she expected to see was Gunnar's words turning a haunting grey. Asta stopped breathing and felt a massive wave of panic overtake her. There was a horrifying sound in the background and Asta felt her knees give out.

She did not know how Fi had made it to her so fast, but instead of falling to the floor she was slumped against her friend. That awful sound was still ever present and Thor was trying to reach out for her, no doubt worried and frightened about what was happening.

The sound only grew louder and she realized it was her screams that bounced off the throne room walls.

Fi was yelling at her, begging her to tell her what happened, but all Asta could do was scratch at the greying words. She couldn't believe it, it had to be a dream. Because there was no way that fate would be so cruel as to condemn her to live without her soulmate, to make her daughter live without her father.

And in the midst of her shrieks, water gushed out from between her legs and her face paled.

Asta lost all sense of time as healers were rushed in to transport her to their quarters. She could not decide who to think about, her lost soulmate or her incoming child. Colors and shapes became one and soon all she could focus on was the pain of her contractions.

The next thing she knew Fi was hovering over her face telling her to push. Asta could see her mouth forming the words, but she heard nothing. Regardless, Asta did as she was told and pushed. The pain was almost enough to distract her from Gunnar.

The need to see her child hit her hard. Asta had to see her daughter, the only thing she had left of her soulmate.

"Stop!" One of the young women helping yelled out suddenly. Her voice was filled with distress and it very nearly chilled Asta's blood. That was not the tone you wanted to hear while giving birth. "Lady Asta you need to stop pushing, if you continue there is a high chance you will hemorrhage."

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and all looked to their queen for direction on how to proceed, all except Asta. She knew what they were trying to say, that there was now going to be a debate over which one of them to save. Over her dead body would she allow them to choose her over her daughter.

"If it comes down to a choice, you save my baby." With one last lethal glare leveled their way, she ignored the healers and did what her body was telling her to do.

Frigga nodded solemnly to the healers, knowing that this was not a choice she could make for Asta. She too was a mother, and if their places were reversed she would do anything to save her son.

Asta did not know how long she pushed, only that she did not stop for anything. It was only when a fragile wail broke out that she finally came back to her senses. Fi helped her sit up as her eyes locked onto the baby encased in the healer's arms.

"My baby..." She held out her arms, desperate to hold her daughter. "Give me my baby." Asta ignored the uncomfortable gushing that was still occurring between her legs.

Perhaps somewhere deep in her mind she knew something wasn't right and that the hemorrhaging must have already started, but the sight of her perfect baby girl took priority.

When her daughter was placed on her chest Asta felt complete in a way that she never had before. But as quickly as she felt it the feeling was gone, and in its place was a vast emptiness that she did not know existed.

Gunnar should have been here, he should have been able to see his daughter's face and try to find which parts of her came from him. Seeing the little tuft of black hair atop her head and her pale skin Asta was hit with a memory of something long ago and smiled. "How fitting it is that the moon and the sun created a star." Fi let out a watery laugh from beside her but could not argue with the logic one bit, the baby was the perfect mix of both Asta and Gunnar.

They would have made the perfect family, if only fate had given them the chance.

"She's bleeding out, go get Eir!"

Asta heard what the healer had said, but she refused to take her eyes off her child. She knew it sounded crazy, but she could feel Gunnar calling for her. Tears ran down her face at the thought that she too would leave this precious girl behind.

She turned to Fi and begged, "Make sure that she knows she is loved so very dearly by her Mama and Papa, and that we wanted nothing more than to be with her."

Frigga shook her head at her friend, still in shock by how wrong this day had gone. None of this was supposed to happen, how could the Allfathers have allowed this? "Do not talk as if you will not survive this Asta, Eir is on her way just hold on a little longer."

Asta wondered if Fi would understand her a little more if she had been the one to lose her soulmate instead.

Feeling her eyes start to close unwillingly, Asta quickly soaked up every image she could of her baby, not wanting to miss a single thing.

"Our little star." Asta whispered the words as she placed a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead.

Her daughter's wails filled the room once more, almost as though she were aware that her mother was leaving her. It broke everyone's heart, but there was nothing they could do, because Asta had just been claimed by death.

In the end Asta's only regret was leaving behind her nameless daughter.

Frigga picked up the baby girl and clutched her to her chest as she began sobbing over the still body of her lifelong friend. And in that moment she swore that this little girl would know a mother's love, even though Asta could not be the one to give it.

The figures shone a bright green as they dispersed in front of her, but still Elysia could not remove her gaze from where they had just been.

Watching one's parents die centuries after they were already dead caused a strange kind of grief for the soul.

Her Mama had given up her life so that Elysia could live instead and she would remain eternally grateful to her for that. Her Papa took his last breath before she even took her first, but he had just enough time to give her a name. In those ways Elysia would carry them with her every day in a way that she never had before.

They both sacrificed so much for her and for each other, Elysia prayed that they had been reunited in Valhalla. After all if anyone deserved such a peace it was them.

Odin and Frigga both silently agreed to let her have whatever time she needed before trying to engage her in conversation. They would use the time to try and think about how they could console her, because at the current moment they could not find any words that held meaning.

What did you say to comfort a child who had just watched their mother and father die before getting to know them? What words would ever make that easier to bear?

"I feel like I should apologize to you," Elysia said after several minutes of silence. But she still had not gathered the strength to turn and face them, "I never realized that you lost them too."

That was not the conclusion that they wanted her to come to.

"Yes..." Frigga answered hesitantly, "We did lose them, but we got the chance to raise you because of it, and I cannot bring myself to regret how things have played out all these years." Odin placed a hand on his wife's back, silently supporting her.

The loss of their friends had been crippling, and the only thing that helped heal it was raising the three children.

They could tell by the look on her face that she did not believe them, and in one of his truly rare moments, Odin spoke from his heart. "We may have took you in because of obligation, but we kept you because of love."

Frigga was pleasantly surprised by her husband, knowing that there was a thousand other ways that he could have handled this, and all of their endings had a bleak outlook. On the other hand Elysia did not know what to do with his comment. They had all made it explicitly clear to her that she was not a burden thrust upon them, but never had they been so blunt about it.

An unexpected twinge of self-hate hit her. Elysia was tired of constantly needing validation for her place among her family. When she was younger it had been understandable, but when she was nearing a thousand years old it became annoying and unbecoming. She just wanted to make her heart and her mind understand that she was not an outsider, she never had been.

"You were born on the very same day the war was won, one might call that a miracle. However your mother and father died on the day the war was won, many would call that a tragedy."

Elysia understood where Odin was coming from. That war was one of Asgard's biggest victories, but the price they paid for it had been brutal. It was the duty of the older ones to pass along that knowledge to the younger generation so that when their time to fight came, the same mistakes would not be made.

It seemed ironic that somehow miracles and tragedies could not seem to exist without the other.

"It is strange because I have never seen myself as an orphan. I had you, so there was no reason too. I'd like to believe that that's exactly what my parents wanted me to think." Elysia turned and looked at her mother for the first time since the images faded from the room, "Does that make me selfish though? Would they hate me for replacing them?" Elysia was afraid of the answer. She desperately wanted reassurance that such was not the case, but she did not think she could bear it if it turned out to be true.

Frigga looked at her daughter and wondered when it was that she had gone so wrong that Elysia believed that it was wrong for her to know the love of a parent when hers were gone. "Who told you that there is a limit to the love we can receive or give? There is no such thing." She placed both hands on the girl's cheeks and looked deep into her eyes. "You had a mother and a father who loved you very much but were unfortunately taken away from you, and now you have your father and I who also love you as if you were our own. My darling there is no fault to be found in that."

"I just feel like if I could do something that would make them proud then somehow I could make it up to them for not always honoring their memory."

Frigga huffed in loving exasperation. How could she think that they would ever be disappointed in her? Elysia was everything that Asta and Gunnar dreamed about and more. The two of them would be so proud to see how she dealt with the infliction of absorbing part of an infinity stone as such a young age. "My darling you do that every day. The way you carry yourself-"

She was cut off when Elysia moved out of her grip, "Is all you. You taught me all I know" she stated firmly.

"That kind of kindness cannot be taught. That kind of strength comes from a place deep inside, where only you can reach." Frigga wished she could say that she was the cause of the perseverance that ran through her daughter's veins, but at the end of the day the only reason that Elysia was so strong was because she was determined to be that way.

Elysia brought a hand up and quickly wiped away a stray tear that had tried to make its way down her cheek, "Well I wish they were around to see it."

Odin walked over to his girls and threw an arm around her, drawing her into his warm embrace. "As do we."

Gunnar and Asta may have been gone, but they were never forgotten, and in the end maybe that was really all that mattered.

"They did what?!" Thor's voice rung out, nearly deafening the other two occupants of the small room.

"That is not what I meant in the slightest. I thought perhaps it would do you some good to hear some stories about them, not watch them take their last breaths." Loki growled out with one hand rubbing circles against his ear.

Needless to say, Thor and Loki had not taken the retelling of the day's activities well.

Elysia had figured that Loki would be disgruntled at best, and she honestly didn't think that Thor would have anything to say on the matter.

Rushing to play unexpected damage control Elysia assured them, "It's okay. I'm glad- well I suppose glad is not the right word. I'm appreciative for it." Her words were not doing much to calm either one of them but she had been through enough today and did not want to deal with an argument on top of it all. "It was hard to watch but I got to see how much they loved me, even in their very last moments they loved me so much. There is no story that could ever tell me that more than what they showed me."

Ever the faithful brothers the two quieted down, still furious but willing to let it go for her sake. Sometimes Thor felt as though he did not understand his parents. They constantly claimed that Elysia was more sensitive than them and that they were to make sure that she was protected from any harm that might come her way. So he could not wrap his head around why they would show her something that could cause the biggest damage to her heart on nothing more than a whim.

Looking at her eldest brother it was almost difficult to imagine that at one point in time he had been that small child hanging onto her Mama's dress. "Actually I did see you with my Mama for a moment, do you remember anything about them?"

Thor scratched the top of his head and tried to think back, but not much was coming to mind. Sure he remembered Asta's screams, he really did not think he could ever forget that sound, but everything happened so fast after that and he had been very young at the time. "Honestly I cannot say that I remember much from that time. I do remember mother coming into my room the next night with you two in her arms saying that I now had a younger brother and sister."

Both Elysia and Loki turned to stare at him in confusion, "Wait...you saw the both of us at the same time? But Loki is older than I am." How was it even possible that Thor had never seen Loki before that night?

Thor paid their anxiety no mind, "Mother said that you were very sick when you were born Loki, so no one was allowed to be around you until you got better. That and she wanted to keep you out of the public seeing as how there was the war going on and they did not want our enemies to have knowledge of you."

It made sense in a way. Frigga would have wanted to ensure the safety of her children and if that meant hiding one's existence until the danger had passed then Elysia was sure that that's what she would do. However to her knowledge Loki had never been really ill when they were children. Perhaps it was one of those illness that only babies are susceptible to and that he came out of it stronger than before. Either way Elysia was not going to dwell on it.

The three of them spent the next few hours talking about everything and nothing all at once. It was comfortable for each of them just to relax in the others' presence. They huddled around the fire until all three were yawning. Deciding that it was time to rest Elysia bid both of her brothers goodnight, sending them off to their rooms with a kiss to their cheeks.

Catching sight of the moonlight that entered her room through the open door leading to her balcony, Elysia thought of her Mama and how her ebony hair truly caused a glowing effect. Making her way outside she leaned against the railing, the only thing that stood between her and a drop through the air that would have devastating consequences even to her kind.

"Our little star."

Her natural affliction for the incandescent burning balls of light made more sense now. It was quite possible that subconsciously her soul recognized the connection between them and her parents. Maybe it was nothing more than a childish yearning, but when she looked up at the vast sky she could almost pretend that she was speaking to the two of them. "Just let me have tonight. Let me cry over you one last time with everything I have, because from now on I want to focus on honoring your memory rather than mourning it."

Elysia wondered if her soulmate could feel her heartbreak from across the universe. She wanted to shield him from her torment, but the thought of hiding a part of herself from her other half made her feel more alone than ever.

She prayed that her soulmate would never know the pain of being an orphan. And she hoped that until she was able to be in his life, that he would never have to be alone.

AN: My friend said something along the lines of Frigga not actually being able to take a memory and turn it into a physical form, and my response to that is: well she can now. Because this story is mega fictional and I definitely change things from cannon, I can one hundred percent tell you that this is not the first and will not be the last time something gets changed. Roll with it please, it will eventually make sense, I swear. I remembered when Frigga was talking to Loki in his cell in Thor: The Dark World and thought it was cool that she could make life like images and thought "You know what would be pretty freakin' awesome and sad at the same time?" and thus the basis for this chapter was born.

SunnySides: Okay I loved your comment and I 100% agree with you, German Hydra man is most definitely an idiot. I mean in his defense he had absolutely no idea that there is life outside of earth so he truly believes the soulmate is human, so in his mind his plan is unparalleled genius but we all know that in reality he's just a complete idiot. In regards to the torture aspect had Elysia been anyone else they probably would have actually tried to do tests and come up with various theories, but because at this point in time she's the only one they know of who has ever absorbed an infinity stone they really have no idea if it's just a side effect or not. Heck yes Tony is definitely going to snark his ass off about a whole lot of things. And Thor and Loki would totally come blazing into Hydra ready to kill everyone if they took Elysia, but only if she didn't break herself out first. And I love the space jokes, keep em' coming, lord knows I've made my fair share while writing this.